Want to chat on Roblox? Youll need to verify your age.
Roblox, the immensely popular gaming platform with over 151 million daily users—one-third of whom are under 13—has announced a significant new measure aimed at enhancing safety for its younger audience. Starting this week, Roblox will begin implementing voluntary age estimation technology for users who wish to engage in chat features. This initiative, which will be rolled out in phases through January 2024, positions Roblox as a pioneer in the online gaming and communications space by using facial recognition technology to verify the ages of its users. By January 2026, this age estimation will be mandatory globally, with an earlier requirement set for Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands starting in December. The technology, developed by Persona, utilizes video and still images to estimate a user’s age, with Roblox assuring users that these images will be deleted immediately after processing, thereby prioritizing user privacy.
The introduction of age estimation comes in response to growing concerns from child safety advocates and parents regarding the platform’s vulnerability to child predation. Lawsuits, including those filed by the Dolman Law Group and the Texas state attorney general, have highlighted issues of minors being exposed to sexual exploitation through chat features. Predators have been known to exploit these vulnerabilities by building relationships with young users and encouraging them to migrate to less secure communication platforms like Discord. To combat these risks, Roblox will categorize users into six age groups based on their estimated age, allowing them to chat only with others in similar age ranges, thus limiting exposure to potentially harmful interactions. For instance, a 12-year-old may chat with a 9-year-old but not with users aged 18 to 20.
The launch of this age estimation technology is just one part of Roblox’s broader commitment to creating a safer online environment for children and teens. Recently, the platform introduced a feature called “Trusted Connections,” allowing users aged 13 to 17 to communicate without filters, while also monitoring conversations for signs of grooming or other critical harm. In support of these efforts, advocacy groups like the Family Online Safety Institute have praised the initiative, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures in safeguarding young users. However, the announcement has not been without controversy; ParentsTogether Action is organizing a virtual protest on the platform, demanding that Roblox implement stricter safety features, including default maximum privacy settings for all users under 18. The group’s petition, which has garnered over 12,000 signatures, calls for Roblox to take a more robust stance against child safety issues, insisting that the platform must “stop being a playground for predators.” As Roblox navigates these challenges, the implementation of age estimation technology represents a significant step towards creating a safer digital space for its young users.
The gaming platform Roblox will begin using age estimation technology for users who want to chat, according to the
company’s announcement
Tuesday.
The measure, which rolls out in phases through January, is Roblox’s latest step toward improving safety features for young users. The platform has more than 151 million daily average users, one-third of whom are younger than 13.
Roblox says the new policy positions the company as the first online gaming and communications platform to make chat accessible following a facial age check, calling the move “a new industry benchmark for safety.”
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Roblox: A parent’s guide to keeping your kids safe
Like many digital platforms, Roblox has been under increasing pressure from child safety advocates and the parents of alleged victims to better protect minors from child predation, among other harms. The Dolman Law Group has filed 30 complaints against the company for allegedly exposing minors to sexual exploitation and abuse. Other lawsuits against Roblox, including
one filed recently by the Texas state attorney general
, make similar claims.
Predators have identified minors on Roblox and cultivated relationships with them via chat and messaging, sometimes encouraging them to leave the platform for other communications apps, like Discord.
Starting Tuesday, Roblox age estimation will be voluntary. It will become mandatory globally in January 2026. However, the platform will initially require it in Australia, New Zealand, and The Netherlands beginning in December.
Age estimation takes place on the Roblox app, but is completed by the company Persona. The technology uses video and still imagery to estimate a user’s age. Roblox says those images will be deleted immediately after processing, and will not be stored.
Roblox hopes the approach will protect user privacy. A recent
security breach of a Discord vendor
may have compromised the government IDs of about 70,000 users, raising fresh questions about how to verify age while still protecting user data and personal information.
Roblox must also account for bad actors who try to use fake photos or pictures of another person to evade accurate age estimation. Kaufman said that the combination of video and still imaging helps prevent that. Additionally, the company will deploy fraud checks.
Roblox players will be grouped into age categories with limits on who can speak to each other.
Credit: Roblox
These two Roblox users could not chat with each other because of age differences.
Credit: Roblox
Once a user’s age is estimated, Roblox will assign them to one of six age groups: under 9; 9 to 12 years old; 13 to 15 years old; 16 to 17 years old; 18 to 20 years old; and 21 and over. Users can then chat with members in their same age group or a similar range. While a 12 year old could chat with a user that’s 9, for example, they will not be able to communicate with users in the 18- to 20-year-old group. If a user wants to appeal their grouping, they can submit ID verification.
Matt Kaufman, chief safety officer for Roblox, said in a press briefing that the age estimation technology is “very accurate.” Third-party testing of Persona found it has a
mean absolute error rate of 1.37 years
.
Roblox
recently started requiring age estimation
for users who want to take advantage of a new feature called “Trusted Connections.” The feature allows teens between the ages of 13 and 17 to communicate via voice and chat without filters. Roblox continues to monitor all conversations for “critical harm,” such as grooming.
“Proactive tools like age estimation are key to building a safer and more positive digital world for kids and teens,” Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, said in a statement about Roblox’s age estimation efforts.
On Tuesday morning, the nonprofit advocacy group ParentsTogether Action planned to hold a virtual protest on the platform, at a custom-designed Roblox headquarters, where participants in the form of non-playable characters will carry signs. Protesters will deliver a
digital petition
with over 12,000 signatures calling on Roblox to implement more safety features, like defaulting all children under 18 to maximum privacy settings.
The petition implores the company to fundamentally change its approach to child safety, declaring: “Roblox must stop being a playground for predators.”
